I crewed for the Uniroyal Team the whole weekend.No, I had never flown on or even been around hot air balloons much.Quite a different view from this angle.A lot of work ... and ... a lot of fun.

Holding the throat openduring inflation -cool air goes in firstthen you burn the hot airto make the balloon lift.

Lines inside the tiremaintain the structureof the special shape balloon(flat walls in this case).

Deflating ...still much work to do.Must milk all the airout through the top,roll it up, thenfit it into a small bag.

Loading the packedenvelope into the van.This balloon weighsalmost four times atraditional balloon.

First Flight Balloonist's PrayerUpon completion of your first flight, there is a special ceremony.It involves a wonderful story about the first ballonists, champagne,being on your knees, and bending over to drink the champagne without the aid of your hands.Yea, you may remember that part from college!